Tummy Tuck surgery, also known as Abdominoplasty surgery, is a surgical procedure in which the loose skin of the stomach area is removed and the muscles of the abdominal area are tightened. While a strict exercise and diet plan will help most people firm their stomach, which in turn helps them to feel and look better, some problems, such as protruding belly, loose or hanging skin, and weak muscles on both men and women can be improved with this surgical procedure. Every year, more than 80,000 women and men across the U.S. elect to have a tummy tuck surgery procedure. Women and men who have a protruding belly, loose or hanging abdominal skin and weak abdominal muscles are all excellent candidates for the full tummy tuck surgery procedure. A Mini-Abdominoplasty surgery, commonly referred to as a mini-tummy tuck, is a procedure that can be performed on patients who have a smaller or limited amount of loose skin and/or stretch marks in the lower abdomen, and do not need the normal tightening of abdominal muscles as in a full abdominoplasty surgery procedure. However, if the patient has excessive fat but minimal or limited looseness of the abdominal wall, the procedure may be performed in along with a liposuction procedure.
Women that plan to become pregnant should not have this surgery procedure, because a second procedure may be required in order to re-tighten the belly after pregnancy. In most cases, abdominoplasty surgery removes the stretch marks inherent with pregnancy, because this procedure removes most of the "stretched out" skin below the navel.